Pickling has gained tremendous popularity lately but it has existed as a way of food preservation since antiquity. Unpredictable weather and long travel made it necessary to find a way to make food last longer. Pickles are in the Bible and the works of Shakespeare. Cleopatra treasured them as a secret to her beauty and Colombus…

With the kids home for the summer, I have not been updating the blog as much as I want to but still continue to pick up fresh, bright-looking produce and stock my fridge waiting for time to appear and inspiration to strike. Yesterday, I looked in and noticed plump, petite Italian eggplant I had picked up…

An evergreen, soul dish that is one of my favorites. The vivid color, the crunchiness of the pakora (fritter) and the velvety, cooling yogurt sauce make it the most appealing of foods. Subtle flavors pop out in a refreshing, vegetarian, gluten-free concoction. To me, for some reason, this dish is uniquely female. Traditionally, karhi is the main dish, eaten with fluffy basmati rice….

A slow-cooked pot roast exists in many cultures. It is simple, comforting and earthy. The South-Asian version, called Pasandey, was a staple in our home. The meat is seared and then slow-cooked in yogurt, raw and caramelized onions, garlic and lots of poppy seeds. Ingredients: 2-3 lb. grass-fed chuck roast 2 cloves garlic, sliced 1 med. onion,…

Kichri is the ultimate food. It combines the powerhouse of lentils, a source of potassium, calcium, zinc, niacin and vitamin K and rich in dietary fiber, lean protein, folate and iron, with the comforting carbohydrates of basmati rice. A whole meal with chutneys or a vehicle for carrying more spiced dishes, it is versatile and can be prepared with various ingredients that…

The streets of NYC are hushed, blanketed, pristine and personal. Outside, the snow is chaotic, pelting the face as you step down onto a sidewalk that has no end. No traffic, only the sound of the wind, snow plows and shovels. People walking in the middle of the road, an easy camaraderie. Inside, a pot of steaming, spiced chocolate…

We lived in Muscat in our early childhood. The summers were bone-dry and scorching. To escape, we would travel to the equally scorching but more smoldering heat of Karachi where my aunt and grandmother lived. Their house was an updated version of a traditional South Asian home. The rooms wrapped around a courtyard that was…

We emerged onto FDR from the traffic snarl of First Avenue. I looked out at the sunshine dancing, glinting on the river across to the Brooklyn shoreline and let out a sigh of relief to finally be out of the doctor’s office. I relaxed into the moment. Nael had dozed off into an exhausted…